FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Perhaps sensing the outside world sometimes gets the wrong impression of his quarterback's intensity and competitiveness, that it views him as too cool, too emotionally detached or too robotic, Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn offered a different view of Matt Ryan this past week.
"All of us around here feel it," Quinn said. "He's always pushing, always trying to take it to the next level. Matt's not only an excellent leader, he's one (heck of a) competitor."
As the University of Alabama proved again Monday night, it almost always comes back to the quarterback if you expect to become a championship football team.
Running backs may sometimes get more glory. Coaches can become household names with seven-figure salaries. A wide receiver such as the Falcons' Julio Jones may sometimes star in more highlight reels.
But if you expect to win the big prize, you best have the best quarterback on the field, which might be why New England keeps winning all those Super Bowls with Tom Brady under center.
But that Atlanta quarterback who came up short to Brady in last year's Super Bowl is pretty good, too. In fact, until his fumble midway through the fourth quarter of the title game, it looked as if Ryan had become Brady 2.0.
Unfortunately, that fumble happened, which helped the Patriots complete a comeback from 28-3 down and left Ryan's otherwise amazing 2016 season - 38 touchdowns to 7 interceptions during the regular season; nine touchdown with no interceptions during the postseason - little more than gaudy numbers within a shattered dream.
And this season, which has never been able to escape negative references to last year's Super Bowl, hasn't come close to matching those 2016 stats for the wearer of jersey No. 2. Yes, Ryan has been more good than bad - 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions - but the Falcons were the last NFC team to make the playoffs, finishing 10-6 as their 10th-year quarterback adjusted to new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
But an offense that put 34 points on the board against Green Bay in the Falcons' first regular-season game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium back in September has rarely looked as crisp or smooth since then. Not only were the Falcons upset 20-17 by Miami at home, they also lost 23-17 to Buffalo and 14-9 to Minnesota inside their new $1.5 billion playpen.
Over the 16-game regular season, Atlanta failed to score at least 20 points in a game six times. By comparison, last year's Falcons were held to fewer than 20 points once.
Of course, that same opponent - Philadelphia - is also standing in the way of Atlanta advancing to the NFC championship game this year. The Falcons visit the Eagles for a divisional-round matchup at 4:35 p.m. Saturday.
"We're a different team than last year," Ryan said late Wednesday afternoon. "They're a little different as well. They've had a great season. Good challenge for us."
Ryan was meeting with the media one day later than usual because a family issue Tuesday caused him to miss practice for the first time since 2009, which was his second year in the league. That stat alone - no missed practices over an eight-year run in a sport as violent as football - is stunning
It also gave his teammates yet another reason to praise both his work ethic and his leadership as the Falcons attempt to become the first team since the 1993 Buffalo Bills to return to the Super Bowl the year after losing in the title game.
"He's always tuned in," center Alex Mack said. "Matt does a great job of demanding excellence. He may look calm out there, but he has spurts of intensity. No one wants to win more than Matt."
Added backup quarterback Matt Schaub of Ryan's leadership skills: "It's not something you verbalize. It's an action-based thing. He's the same guy every day. He has the same routine. Guys appreciate that and learn from that."
Ryan's also remarkably slow to criticize teammates or coaches, a trait sadly lacking in too many of today's sports stars, be they players or coaches.
Asked about Sarkisian, who replaced Kyle Shanahan after last season's offensive coordinator landed the San Francisco 49ers' head gig, Ryan said: "It's continued to get better. He's done a great job of learning who we are. Specifically, the last two weeks, he's done a great job."
So has Ryan, who has hit on more than 60 percent of his passes, thrown two touchdowns and avoided a single interception in the regular-season finale - a victory against the Carolina Panthers that clinched a postseason berth - and last week's playoff victory against the Rams in Los Angeles.
"The best leaders always evolve," Ryan said. "The one constant in this league is that the roster always changes. As a leader, you have to always understand what your group needs. I've always had the mindset of servant leadership. What can I do to help make those around me better? And I'm really proud of that this year.
"This is a tough group. No matter how things shake out, we can find a way to win."
Beginning with the quarterback.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.